New sheriff ‘never more satisfied in my life'

McDonald guiding turnaround

Published: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 6:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 6:12 p.m.

A year ago on March 8 there was a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Charles McDonald drew a line in the sand to “let people know that we were starting from the start point and everything going forward was going to be different.” He had a plan.

McDonald called in a 34-year veteran of Scotland Yard, now a professor and consultant in America, to do an internal audit to find what problems needed fixing. His report in August showed 93 major concerns. And although there are close to 200 employees at the department today, only seven job descriptions surfaced out of the whole bunch.

“When we came in I knew that we had a tremendous amount of work to do here inside the department. Morale was at an all-time low and people were really looking for something with some kind of certainty,” he said. “I think in the year that we've been here, while we've still got a lot of things we want to do, we have really made great strides in re-establishing trust from the troops here in their leadership.”

Republican Party's executive committee after former Sheriff Rick Davis, who had been named by a detective in a sexual harassment case, took medical retirement while seeking treatment for bipolar disorder.

On March 8, McDonald looked back on a year of new beginnings and ahead to more progress. To fix the outside, he looked inside first.

“I always tell people, ‘I don't mind you bringing a problem to me, but I really prefer that you bring a solution or two, and then all I have to do is make the choice between the best solutions,'” McDonald said with a smile.

Low morale was a problem. Lack of recognition for stellar performance was a problem. Some employees were concerned with a lack of diversity among the staff and unity among the different divisions within the department. Others voiced an interest in more training and career development.

Recruiting committees from throughout the ranks, McDonald asked his troops, “How would you fix it?”

Several committees, equal representation from telecommunications to detention and patrol, met for brainstorming sessions. A professional standards division was formed to oversee internal affairs, evidence, regular inspections, audits, professional and career development and public information.

Doors were opened to new recruits, and the bar for standards was raised.

“Once I know what your job description is, as your supervisor, then I've got several things I need to do. Have I ensured that you have the training to properly do that job? And if not, then it's my responsibility to make sure you get it as prescribed,” McDonald said. “As your supervisor, once you've met the baselevel training, then it's up to me to make sure that you start getting training that will enhance your ability to be promoted or transferred when you want to.”

For morale and recognition, they thought of possible rewards that would cost close to nothing — employee of the month, breakfast with the sheriff or parking by the front door.

Another committee crafted new mission, vision and values statements for the department that remind others of the importance of courage, honor and integrity. The new statements will soon be hung around the office. Employees brainstormed ways to save taxpayer dollars, like using heat-applicable skins instead of paint to customize new patrol cars.

A recruiting committee came up with brochures and a list of places like the Apple Festival and the Mountain State Fair to put “boots to recruit.” They developed a recruiting video with the help of the Western North Carolina Justice Academy.

Giving the officers “more buy-in” and more ownership in their job, McDonald suspects, has helped with morale. In seven months, morale has improved and a list of projects to enhance quality of work for quality service has either been completed or put in place.

“We never cease to be amazed by the imagination of our employees and really by the commitment that they bring to the job to make things better every day,” he said.

Three main goals mark their to-do lists for McDonald's next year in office.

“We'll continue putting a great emphasis on career development for our people,” McDonald said.

Then, they'll join in a common cause to reduce break-ins and larcenies in the county by 12 percent in 2014 using a specialized unit and crime-mapping software to put heat on the hot spots for those crimes.

The results of the next goal will guide the goals of the year to come. McDonald said they will be distributing a quality of service survey “across all of the demographics of Henderson County.” Partnering with a graduate program at Western Carolina University, students will distribute community surveys and tabulate the results.

“Then we will go out — no matter what it says — we will go public with that survey,” he said. “We'll make sure that the citizens know where we got it right and where we didn't get it so right.”

Ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability is important, he said. “If we're not doing anything we shouldn't be doing, we don't need to pull the shades. That's the bottom line.”

“If we're healthy on the inside, we're going to be better to take care of the folks on the outside as well,” said Capt. Frank Stout. “He's come with a full plan that addresses the department, the community, the quality of service to everybody … he's the sheriff of all the people … He wants to establish a fair, transparent and honest department that people can be proud of, that they're not going to have to second-guess. Are we going to take some lumps? Absolutely, but we're going to be honest while we do it.”

Stout said the sheriff is building a legacy of career development and opportunities they hope will be in place for years to come. They strive to be the model of sheriff's offices, he said. And in a recent article of Carolina Public Press, the department outshined several others in Western North Carolina in an audit of evidence collection and retention.

“There are some great, great people here,” Stout said. “He's given them the free rein and the ability to come up with solutions, and they have done it. They have absolutely risen to the occasion, and the folks in Henderson County can be proud of their sheriff's department and especially their sheriff for allowing this type of culture to exist.”

“I'm amazed. I'm inspired a lot of times by what I see,” McDonald said. “It really is about living for something bigger than themselves. It took me a lot of years, just in my life, before I ever really understood what it meant to live for something big or beyond yourself.”

McDonald quit school at 16, joined the Navy at 17 and served stateside during the Vietnam War. During his time in the military, he learned to weld. When he left the Navy at 21, he studied and earned his GED before using his G.I. bill to continue instruction in welding at Blue Ridge Community College. There, he found a passion for teaching becoming an instructor, and later, a calling to law enforcement, graduating from the school's first Basic Law Enforcement Training class (also thanks to his G.I. bill).

He joined the force at 30, retired at 55 and returned last year at 57 after many prayers.

“I've never worked harder. I've never been more committed to anything, as far as a job, in my life, and as tired as I am at times, I've never been more satisfied in my life with what we're seeing happen,” he said.

<p>A year ago on March 8 there was a new sheriff in town. Sheriff Charles McDonald drew a line in the sand to “let people know that we were starting from the start point and everything going forward was going to be different.” He had a plan.</p><p>McDonald called in a 34-year veteran of Scotland Yard, now a professor and consultant in America, to do an internal audit to find what problems needed fixing. His report in August showed 93 major concerns. And although there are close to 200 employees at the department today, only seven job descriptions surfaced out of the whole bunch.</p><p>“When we came in I knew that we had a tremendous amount of work to do here inside the department. Morale was at an all-time low and people were really looking for something with some kind of certainty,” he said. “I think in the year that we've been here, while we've still got a lot of things we want to do, we have really made great strides in re-establishing trust from the troops here in their leadership.”</p><p>Republican Party's executive committee after former Sheriff Rick Davis, who had been named by a detective in a sexual harassment case, took medical retirement while seeking treatment for bipolar disorder. </p><p>On March 8, McDonald looked back on a year of new beginnings and ahead to more progress. To fix the outside, he looked inside first. </p><p>“I always tell people, 'I don't mind you bringing a problem to me, but I really prefer that you bring a solution or two, and then all I have to do is make the choice between the best solutions,'” McDonald said with a smile. </p><p>Low morale was a problem. Lack of recognition for stellar performance was a problem. Some employees were concerned with a lack of diversity among the staff and unity among the different divisions within the department. Others voiced an interest in more training and career development. </p><p>Recruiting committees from throughout the ranks, McDonald asked his troops, “How would you fix it?” </p><p>Several committees, equal representation from telecommunications to detention and patrol, met for brainstorming sessions. A professional standards division was formed to oversee internal affairs, evidence, regular inspections, audits, professional and career development and public information. </p><p>Doors were opened to new recruits, and the bar for standards was raised. </p><p>“Once I know what your job description is, as your supervisor, then I've got several things I need to do. Have I ensured that you have the training to properly do that job? And if not, then it's my responsibility to make sure you get it as prescribed,” McDonald said. “As your supervisor, once you've met the baselevel training, then it's up to me to make sure that you start getting training that will enhance your ability to be promoted or transferred when you want to.” </p><p>For morale and recognition, they thought of possible rewards that would cost close to nothing — employee of the month, breakfast with the sheriff or parking by the front door. </p><p>Another committee crafted new mission, vision and values statements for the department that remind others of the importance of courage, honor and integrity. The new statements will soon be hung around the office. Employees brainstormed ways to save taxpayer dollars, like using heat-applicable skins instead of paint to customize new patrol cars. </p><p>A recruiting committee came up with brochures and a list of places like the Apple Festival and the Mountain State Fair to put “boots to recruit.” They developed a recruiting video with the help of the Western North Carolina Justice Academy. </p><p>Giving the officers “more buy-in” and more ownership in their job, McDonald suspects, has helped with morale. In seven months, morale has improved and a list of projects to enhance quality of work for quality service has either been completed or put in place. </p><p>“We never cease to be amazed by the imagination of our employees and really by the commitment that they bring to the job to make things better every day,” he said. </p><p>Three main goals mark their to-do lists for McDonald's next year in office. </p><p>“We'll continue putting a great emphasis on career development for our people,” McDonald said. </p><p>Then, they'll join in a common cause to reduce break-ins and larcenies in the county by 12 percent in 2014 using a specialized unit and crime-mapping software to put heat on the hot spots for those crimes. </p><p>The results of the next goal will guide the goals of the year to come. McDonald said they will be distributing a quality of service survey “across all of the demographics of Henderson County.” Partnering with a graduate program at Western Carolina University, students will distribute community surveys and tabulate the results. </p><p>“Then we will go out — no matter what it says — we will go public with that survey,” he said. “We'll make sure that the citizens know where we got it right and where we didn't get it so right.” </p><p>Ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability is important, he said. “If we're not doing anything we shouldn't be doing, we don't need to pull the shades. That's the bottom line.” </p><p>“If we're healthy on the inside, we're going to be better to take care of the folks on the outside as well,” said Capt. Frank Stout. “He's come with a full plan that addresses the department, the community, the quality of service to everybody … he's the sheriff of all the people … He wants to establish a fair, transparent and honest department that people can be proud of, that they're not going to have to second-guess. Are we going to take some lumps? Absolutely, but we're going to be honest while we do it.” </p><p>Stout said the sheriff is building a legacy of career development and opportunities they hope will be in place for years to come. They strive to be the model of sheriff's offices, he said. And in a recent article of Carolina Public Press, the department outshined several others in Western North Carolina in an audit of evidence collection and retention. </p><p>“There are some great, great people here,” Stout said. “He's given them the free rein and the ability to come up with solutions, and they have done it. They have absolutely risen to the occasion, and the folks in Henderson County can be proud of their sheriff's department and especially their sheriff for allowing this type of culture to exist.” </p><p>“I'm amazed. I'm inspired a lot of times by what I see,” McDonald said. “It really is about living for something bigger than themselves. It took me a lot of years, just in my life, before I ever really understood what it meant to live for something big or beyond yourself.” </p><p>McDonald quit school at 16, joined the Navy at 17 and served stateside during the Vietnam War. During his time in the military, he learned to weld. When he left the Navy at 21, he studied and earned his GED before using his G.I. bill to continue instruction in welding at Blue Ridge Community College. There, he found a passion for teaching becoming an instructor, and later, a calling to law enforcement, graduating from the school's first Basic Law Enforcement Training class (also thanks to his G.I. bill). </p><p>He joined the force at 30, retired at 55 and returned last year at 57 after many prayers. </p><p>“I've never worked harder. I've never been more committed to anything, as far as a job, in my life, and as tired as I am at times, I've never been more satisfied in my life with what we're seeing happen,” he said. </p><p>Reach Weaver at Emily. weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828- 694-7867. </p><p>McDonald was elected to the post by Henderson County</p>